


even rome had to fall sometime

by killjoywhatsername



Category: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV)
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Jealousy, Mutual Pining, Season 3, post 3x05, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21896851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killjoywhatsername/pseuds/killjoywhatsername
Summary: Post-3x05. Lenny and Midge cross paths but Lenny is with someone. Feelings come out.
Relationships: Lenny Bruce (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)/Miriam "Midge" Maisel
Comments: 4
Kudos: 127





	even rome had to fall sometime

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is but I love the Lenny/Midge ship and the fandom. This was meant to be angsty but I always prove to myself again and again no matter how hard I try that i can't write angst. It turns into fluff instantly. 
> 
> Song title is from Panicland's Rome Falls (which everyone should go listen to, especially if you like Green Day because it is part of the first 'fanfic album'. I will never shut up about this). It's a beautiful song. 
> 
> Also, a lot of my love for Gilmore Girls found it's way into this soooo enjoy!

Midge Maisel was having the time of her life. Her divorce was settled with Joel (again) and she continued to open for Shy Baldwin. Shy Baldwin! She was still riding high from it all. Sometimes she couldn’t believe she made it this far. She knew she was good, but this good? Good enough to go on tour? It was exhilarating. To think, two years ago she was content being just a housewife. Now, she was Mrs. Maisel but in a wholly different context.

She ended the set with one more joke about motherhood and then raised her arms in the air and thanked the audience, “Now for what you’ve all been waiting for the fabulous… Shy Baldwin!” 

She quickly moved off stage. It only took her about five times to get the routine of introducing Shy and getting the hell out of dodge down. In the beginning she would forget to introduce him. She remembered most of the time. 

Okay, there was that run in Jersey but that was Jersey and it didn’t matter. 

When she walked into the wings of the stage she was looking around for Susie. Many of the crew congratulated her and told her how well she did, and she thanked them, but it didn’t feel like a whole lot. She knew she had the audience tonight. When she first started playing Vegas she was worried, but once she adjusted her set for the audience she gained confidence back. She had Susie to thank for that. She really picked her up when she was feeling truly low about her abilities. 

There were only a few people’s opinions that truly mattered to her when it came to her work. Susie was one of them, and there were maybe two others. However, finding Susie when she was in Vegas was like finding a needle in haystack. It wasn’t lost on Midge that more and more Susie was found gambling rather than waiting in the wings during Midge’s set. 

She decided she was going to find Susie after she got a drink. The audience was great tonight and responded incredibly well to it, but she still needed a martini. 

She left the wings of the stage as Shy started to croon into the microphone. The audience was enthralled by his performance. He was just that talented that he captured the hearts of everyone who listened to him. He was like a siren, putting everyone under his spell. 

There were several bars in the casino but there was one called Atomic that was never that crowded. She loved it because of that,and because the bartender Kevin knew how to make the perfect martini. 

She sat down at the bar, mentally going over how her set went. Kevin walked over to her and handled her a filled martini glass. She smiled and thanked him. 

Midge Maisel was having the time of her life. 

“If you can’t say fuck, you can’t say ‘fuck the government” A voice said. She knew that voice very well and felt warm as soon as she heard it. 

She hadn’t seen Lenny since Miami which was a month ago. That was such a lovely night and one that Midge thought about a lot. Sometimes, when she got lonely she thought back to it. She let her insecurities get in the way that night. She didn’t want to tell him, but she was worried that if she went in his bedroom that night, it would put their friendship in jeopardy. Maybe it was dumb, but she didn’t have any experience when it came to things like that. She had only been with Joel and Benjamin, and both of those situations were different. 

She needed Lenny to be her friend. He saw her in a way that no one else did because he saw the world in such a unique way. He was a large reason she pursued comedy with the passion that she did. 

Then a loud, high pitched laugh broke out. It snapped Midge out of her thoughts. When she turned to wave Lenny over and to greet him she was surprised. She was always surprised when she saw him, but this time felt different. He wasn’t by himself like he was all those other times, but he was with a woman. 

She was pretty. Long blonde hair and legs that went for miles. Her black dress and matching heels left Midge envious. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to greet Lenny now that she saw he was with a date. He had to have seen her sitting there. He had to seen her set and knew she would go for a drink after wards. She turned back at her drink and decided to wait for Lenny to come to her like he usually did. 

Except he didn’t walk up to her immediately. She glanced behind her and saw the two of them sitting at the table together. He actually seemed interested in whatever the woman was talking about. Midge didn’t let herself linger on them too long, she didn’t want to get caught. She turned back around and let her shoulders slump a little. 

She she was acting irrational. He was a grown man and he was on a date, of course he wouldn’t stop everything to come over to her. Not to mention, she’s the one who turned him down in Miami. He had every right to go out with someone. If Joel had ever started chatting up some woman on one of their dates they probably would have broken up long before they did. She was just going to have to accept that Lenny was there for other reasons than to see her. 

She was never good at accepting things she didn’t like. 

As if the universe was giving her a sign to not do anything rash, a man sat down at the bar next to her. He was handsome, thick dark hair and strong jaw. He would provide a good distraction until she could make an exit that didn’t seem too obvious. 

“Now what is a nice looking girl like you doing in a place like this?” He said and Midge didn’t even try to hide her frown. How boring of a pick up line. Absolutely no originality or thought put into at all.

“I live here.” She replied in an instant, a small smile playing on her lips.

“What?” 

She took another sip of her drink. This was not going to work out. Her mind was to preoccupied by Lenny. She didn’t want to be talking to anyone else. 

“Look, I’m sure you’re great and all, but you’re not going to get lucky tonight with me so maybe try again with someone else, okay?” She said and turned away from him. The guy huffed and walked to the other end of the bar next to a few other women. 

She waved the bartender, Kevin, down and the red headed young man walked over to her in an instant. 

“What can I do for you, Mrs. Maisel?” He asked.

“Do you know who Lenny Bruce is? Do you see him over there behind me?” She asked, not caring about how it made her sound. Kevin looked at her with confusion, but then looked passed her at where Lenny was sitting. He nodded and turned his attention back at her. 

“Yes, ma’am.” He face reddened, only enhanced by his flaming red hair. 

“Does he look happy?” She asked. 

The red headed man hesitated, “Honestly? No, he doesn’t.”

Midge let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She should have been hoping that Lenny found someone who he could be happy with, but she found herself annoyed that he was with anyone in the first place. He undoubtedly went to her set and for as long as they knew each other he had gone to her sets alone. 

“He’s alone now if you want to go talk to him, ma’am.” Kevin broke her from her thoughts. 

She glared at him for reading her so easily, “Oh shut it, Kevin, I am not your mother no matter how many issues you have.” 

He went back to attending to the other customers.

It was then that she made a decision. She downed her martini and stood up from her seat. Lenny was indeed alone. Sipping his drink and smiling when he saw her walk over.

“What? No hello?” She said, wishing she had something to clever to say. She always had something witty to say, always. Why was it now that her mind was drawing a complete blank? Probably because she was crashing his date like a mad woman. “Of all the gin joints, in all the world.” 

“Not too hard to track you down when you’re opening for Shy,” He said and allowed herself to preen at the fact that he purposely came here to see her, even with his date, “Saw your set. Great as usual.”

She smiled. It wasn’t a glowing review of her set, but she would take it. She nodded to the drinks on the table, “Not interrupting something am I?”

“Uh, sort of.” He said and it took everything she had to not frown. He wasn’t suppose to say that. 

“Well, sorry about that. I’ll let you and-” 

“Ruth.”

“You and Ruth have a great evening.” She replied curtly. Above all else she was raised with manners. Her parents may think she was some degenerate now that she did stand-up, but that wasn’t true. If he didn’t want her here then she wouldn’t be there. She’ll go back to her room and suffocate herself with one of the hundred yellow teddy bears. 

As she was about to walk away Lenny spoke, “Never thought I’d see you this frustrated.”

She whipped around, “What?”

“You’re not happy I’m here with Ruth.” He lit a cigarette and leaned back in the chair. Midge felt the temperature in the room rise.

“I don’t even know Ruth.” She snapped back. 

“You would like her. She’s plays the piano.” He said. 

She crossed her arms. She tried to be civil but if he was going to put it all out there then she wouldn’t hold back, “So can my four year old.”

“Yeah, but the things she can do with those fingers…” He trailed off, a smirk on his lips, “She’s smart too, reads a lot. Protests a lot too, almost has been arrested as many times as I have.” 

Well, that surprised her, but it didn’t endear her any to the girl. She was still pissed at Lenny.

“Are you trying to set me up with her?”

He laughed, “Only in my dreams.” He shook his head, “You know what she isn’t though?”

“A virgin?” She deadpanned. 

He looked into eyes. She put her life on display night after night. Her family knew about her career. Susie and Joel both knew a lot about her, but for some reason she always thought Lenny got her the most. They had only had a few interactions in the past two years, but he saw her at low points and high points. It wasn’t until he looked her into her eyes this time that she realized how vulnerable she always was around him. Her guard was down whenever they crossed paths.

“She’s not funny.” He said and she had to smile at that, “She might be the dullest person alive. I thought it was Herman Wouk but I was wrong. She opens her mouth and I instantly want to go to sleep.” 

“Well then she’s just doing it wrong.” She said with a grin before should could stop herself. She noticed Lenny’s gaze darkened at her words, “if she is that bad then why are you with her?”

“To see if I was right about something.” 

She raised an eyebrow, “Right about what?”

He stood up from the table and walked over to her, “If you had feelings for me,” He was so close to her that she could smell the mix of cigarettes and his cologne, “Was I right?”

Her mind was racing a thousand miles per minute. She nodded, “You are.”

He grinned and she knew it was a real one. It was bright and genuine, and all for her, “Then let’s get out of here.”

“You’re not upset about Miami?” She asked, needing to get that out of the way before she went any further with him. The fact that he was admitting he only brought Ruth along to make her jealous should have annoyed her. It should have put her off him, instead she was just amused. In fact, she thought it was hilarious. 

“I was never upset. Disappointed maybe, but then I thought I’d give it one more shot and if it didn’t work then I would just resign myself to never tasting your lips. A terrible fate, but I would survive.” That reassured her and she smiled broadly at him. 

“What about Ruth?” Despite her misgivings about the woman being with him, she didn’t think it was right to ditch her. 

He shook his head, “I made a crack about Natalie Wood and she took off.” 

Midge laughed, “What did she know her personally?” She shook her head and wrapped her hands around his arm, “Let’s go. I want to have fun.”

“I do believe it is impossible to not have fun when you’re around, Miriam.”

**Author's Note:**

> come pester me about this ship on tumblr @killjoywhatsername
> 
> Oh also, Midge said a few shamey things in this that weren't cool, but I felt like that's how ASP would write it so for once the Mysterious Hat Energy came over me.


End file.
